preventive

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   preventing or contributing to the prevention of disease

   preventive medicine

2. 2
   adj

   Preventing, hindering, or acting as an obstacle to.

   ...and I sometimes think whether, like the ancient king, it would not be prudent to make an offering to destiny, and throw my set of emeralds into the lake." Emily could not but deprecate the emeralds being destined to any such preventive service;...

3. 3
   adj

   Slowing the development of an illness; prophylactic.

   Physick is either curative or preventive.

4. 4
   adj

   Going before; preceding.

   Any previous counsel or preventive understanding.

5. 5
   noun

   A thing that prevents, hinders, or acts as an obstacle to.

   Dogs should be warmly but airily housed; heartily, but not heatingly, fed — old Indian meal, mixed with oatmeal, suppawn, is the best general food, with a small quantity of salt, which is a preventive against worms […]

6. 6
   noun

   A thing that slows the development of an illness.

   Eaten with sugar yaourt is very palatable and refreshing in warm weather and is said to be a preventive of fever.

7. 7
   adj

   tending to prevent or hinder

8. 8
   noun

   an agent or device intended to prevent conception

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin praeventīvus. Equivalent to prevent + -ive.